This is Dana's page. And this is the webpage I made for class!
The above Voki explains the importance of technology standards for teachers.
UDL PERSONAL RESPONSE: After taking a learning styles survey, I finally figured out what kind of learner I am. I was deemed visual/verbal which I can definitely see. I never really paid too much attention to my actual learning process, I kind of just, well—learned! After reading through the description of what a visual/verbal learner was, I definitely saw many aspects that pertained to me and how I learn and study. I will definitely keep this in mind as I go forward as a student, and a future educator to learn and teach most effectively. I think the CAST website is a very valuable tool as a future educator. Not only did I learn a lot about UDL but I also found many things that would benefit my classroom. As a science teacher, I’ve noticed that it’s a little harder to teach with electronic media because it limits certain things that only a teacher can give to a student. After going though the website and their links to what they had to offer, I found many valuable resources that I will definitely use in my classroom. I think the best part about the services is not only do they reach out to all types of learners but they also offer materials for students who need special attention and materials to learn most efficiently. This was the first time I’ve ever used Prezi and I absolutely love it. Not only does it provide a visual map of the lesson at hand but I think it’s a very useful presenting tool especially with all the features it has and how you can add basically anything to it and have it be part of a lesson. I don’t think I would use it for every class but I think it could definitely be beneficial in my classroom. I also learned many things from the online text. It was set up in a way so that everyone could access it and learn from it. There were links that furthered knowledge and ideas about the topics being presented and my topic in particular opened my eyes to how UDL will become integrated into the schools. I also found resources that I think would be very helpful in a science classroom. It’s amazing how many resources are actually out there and available for teachers to use. I think that many of the methods and materials that are presented by CAST will be a valuable asset to any classroom. I can only see it changing a bland boring lecture based class into a warm, fun, entertaining way to convey information effectively to EVERY student! And besides, when you’re having fun, you don’t realize you’re learning. Our job as future educators is to try our very best to reach every student individually and if we have these tools at our disposal, it would be a crime not to use them.
Please see the attached file to read my reflection about the podcast entitled"Think You're An Auditory Or Visual Learner? Scientists Say It's Unlikely"
Virtual Field Trip Reflection
After going through the Louvre Museum in France online, I finally saw how useful virtual field trips can be. Sure nothing beats going to the actual place but if the school district can't afford it then the virtual trips are the next best thing. I went to the Louvre back in 2005 so going through it virtually brought that experience right back to me. I was able to see exhibits and pieces that I hadn't seen since then. The fact that you can get a panoramic view of the exhibits really makes it come to life. You can literally walk through the exhibits and see everything; and the best part is... There are no crowds!!! Instead of just looking at famous works of arts in a text book or a photograph of it, you can see it where it exists and the closest thing to actually seeing it in real life. I think this can be beneficial in a classroom not only for things like museums or places of interest, but also for things like geography and history. Even with things like Google Earth, we can see places like the battle fields of Gettysburg, so what is usually presented as some far off field that is kind of abstract, we can now show the students what it looks like and the actual environment of it, even if we can't bring them there.
Digital Story!
My digital story on "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" can be seen HERE! Or you can watch the embedded version below...
Final 301 Reflection: My Response: To be honest with you, I think that it’s a shame that technology isn’t more prevalent in your school. In today’s society and in many jobs and careers, technology is a vital resource that a potential employer could see as a weakness if someone doesn’t know how to use technology appropriately. These students will be using technology more and more as time passes in any field they pursue whether it be mathematics or psychology. We’re doing a disservice to these students by not making this available to them. Another reason I think technology is so important for students to use and be comfortable with is the fact that it’s a valuable learning tool inside the classroom. As a physics teacher, I see many potential resources that my students would benefit from using as a study guide or to hone in on abstract concepts that can’t easily be discussed with a white board and some markers. Using technology in the classroom can also help a wide range of students succeed. There are many ways that students with disabilities can use technology to do their assignments and keep up with the general curriculum. It’s important that we make this available to them because again, we’d be doing them a disservice to say that the only way we’d accept their work was if it was turned in like we think “normal” students should. Technology also helps students with different learning styles master the information we’re trying to teach them. Things like audio books and audio guided answers are valuable tools for someone who doesn’t necessarily learn the best when there’s just a teacher talking in front of a room. Videos, games, applets, and online activities are also helpful in this area. Technology in the classroom can also help bring out students strengths. I could assign a project to my students so that they can practice the concepts I’m teaching them in a different manner than just mathematically “plugging and chugging” problems for days on end. This allows me, as a teacher, to see that even though maybe their math skills aren’t on the level they ought to be, I still know they’re grasping the concepts and understanding the material. This would probably make the class more productive and engage students in the material while also helping them to retain information. To be honest, when I was a student, I took a lot of the available technology in my school for granted. Trips to the computer lab were daunting and I didn’t really see how this would really help. After taking ISTC 301, I have seen how important and vital technology has become in classrooms. I can also see that technology is only going to become more important as time goes on because of how our society utilizes technology. I also always saw technology as something that spiced up a classroom, that took away from the monotonous drone of lecture based classes. After taking this course I’ve seen how it can help not only students with disabilities (in the UDL style) but can also benefit students who need something more than a teacher lecturing in front of a classroom. I hope I am privileged enough to work in a school that has technological resources available for me and my students so that we can together use some of the skills and resources I’ve gained from taking this class!
The above Voki explains the importance of technology standards for teachers.
UDL PERSONAL RESPONSE:
After taking a learning styles survey, I finally figured out what kind of learner I am. I was deemed visual/verbal which I can definitely see. I never really paid too much attention to my actual learning process, I kind of just, well—learned! After reading through the description of what a visual/verbal learner was, I definitely saw many aspects that pertained to me and how I learn and study. I will definitely keep this in mind as I go forward as a student, and a future educator to learn and teach most effectively. I think the CAST website is a very valuable tool as a future educator. Not only did I learn a lot about UDL but I also found many things that would benefit my classroom. As a science teacher, I’ve noticed that it’s a little harder to teach with electronic media because it limits certain things that only a teacher can give to a student. After going though the website and their links to what they had to offer, I found many valuable resources that I will definitely use in my classroom. I think the best part about the services is not only do they reach out to all types of learners but they also offer materials for students who need special attention and materials to learn most efficiently.
This was the first time I’ve ever used Prezi and I absolutely love it. Not only does it provide a visual map of the lesson at hand but I think it’s a very useful presenting tool especially with all the features it has and how you can add basically anything to it and have it be part of a lesson. I don’t think I would use it for every class but I think it could definitely be beneficial in my classroom. I also learned many things from the online text. It was set up in a way so that everyone could access it and learn from it. There were links that furthered knowledge and ideas about the topics being presented and my topic in particular opened my eyes to how UDL will become integrated into the schools. I also found resources that I think would be very helpful in a science classroom. It’s amazing how many resources are actually out there and available for teachers to use. I think that many of the methods and materials that are presented by CAST will be a valuable asset to any classroom. I can only see it changing a bland boring lecture based class into a warm, fun, entertaining way to convey information effectively to EVERY student! And besides, when you’re having fun, you don’t realize you’re learning. Our job as future educators is to try our very best to reach every student individually and if we have these tools at our disposal, it would be a crime not to use them.
Below is the file for the response above:
Please see the attached file to read more of my personal reflection regarding Assistive technology!
Please see the attached file to read my reflection about the podcast entitled "Think You're An Auditory Or Visual Learner? Scientists Say It's Unlikely"
Here's the podcast I created to use in a classroom studying The Great Gatsby!
And here is my podcast reflection!
This is the Glogster we made for Jean Piaget
My Toondoo!
Virtual Field Trip Reflection
After going through the Louvre Museum in France online, I finally saw how useful virtual field trips can be. Sure nothing beats going to the actual place but if the school district can't afford it then the virtual trips are the next best thing. I went to the Louvre back in 2005 so going through it virtually brought that experience right back to me. I was able to see exhibits and pieces that I hadn't seen since then. The fact that you can get a panoramic view of the exhibits really makes it come to life. You can literally walk through the exhibits and see everything; and the best part is... There are no crowds!!! Instead of just looking at famous works of arts in a text book or a photograph of it, you can see it where it exists and the closest thing to actually seeing it in real life. I think this can be beneficial in a classroom not only for things like museums or places of interest, but also for things like geography and history. Even with things like Google Earth, we can see places like the battle fields of Gettysburg, so what is usually presented as some far off field that is kind of abstract, we can now show the students what it looks like and the actual environment of it, even if we can't bring them there.
Digital Story!
My digital story on "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" can be seen HERE! Or you can watch the embedded version below...
Final 301 Reflection:
My Response:
To be honest with you, I think that it’s a shame that technology isn’t more prevalent in your school. In today’s society and in many jobs and careers, technology is a vital resource that a potential employer could see as a weakness if someone doesn’t know how to use technology appropriately. These students will be using technology more and more as time passes in any field they pursue whether it be mathematics or psychology. We’re doing a disservice to these students by not making this available to them.
Another reason I think technology is so important for students to use and be comfortable with is the fact that it’s a valuable learning tool inside the classroom. As a physics teacher, I see many potential resources that my students would benefit from using as a study guide or to hone in on abstract concepts that can’t easily be discussed with a white board and some markers. Using technology in the classroom can also help a wide range of students succeed. There are many ways that students with disabilities can use technology to do their assignments and keep up with the general curriculum. It’s important that we make this available to them because again, we’d be doing them a disservice to say that the only way we’d accept their work was if it was turned in like we think “normal” students should. Technology also helps students with different learning styles master the information we’re trying to teach them. Things like audio books and audio guided answers are valuable tools for someone who doesn’t necessarily learn the best when there’s just a teacher talking in front of a room. Videos, games, applets, and online activities are also helpful in this area. Technology in the classroom can also help bring out students strengths. I could assign a project to my students so that they can practice the concepts I’m teaching them in a different manner than just mathematically “plugging and chugging” problems for days on end. This allows me, as a teacher, to see that even though maybe their math skills aren’t on the level they ought to be, I still know they’re grasping the concepts and understanding the material. This would probably make the class more productive and engage students in the material while also helping them to retain information.
To be honest, when I was a student, I took a lot of the available technology in my school for granted. Trips to the computer lab were daunting and I didn’t really see how this would really help. After taking ISTC 301, I have seen how important and vital technology has become in classrooms. I can also see that technology is only going to become more important as time goes on because of how our society utilizes technology. I also always saw technology as something that spiced up a classroom, that took away from the monotonous drone of lecture based classes. After taking this course I’ve seen how it can help not only students with disabilities (in the UDL style) but can also benefit students who need something more than a teacher lecturing in front of a classroom. I hope I am privileged enough to work in a school that has technological resources available for me and my students so that we can together use some of the skills and resources I’ve gained from taking this class!
Here's the reflection I wrote after teaching a short lesson to the class about waves!
Waves & Applications Links!
Transverse Waves
Waves & Practice
Brain Pop
PhET Simulations
Audio Guided Answers & more Practice problems